Do I need to replaster?

[Cybernurse]

Ok, thanks everyone! I’ll look at those resources too.
Re: acid wash.... this means drain the pool, right? And you are suggesting this I could do myself? What happens if too much plaster is removed? That means a replaster job, right? So the acid wash is just for cosmetic purposes then?
When I scrub the plaster with a metal brush, it cloud the water at the scrub site, is this plaster I am removing? I stopped using my steel brush as I was worried about loosing too much plaster, is this a baseless worry?

I think I better address the water quality problem and worry about plaster and acid washes later. I thought the replaster was more important but I guess not.

One last thought, on the tile that is missing, can’t algae hide behind the tile? Should I remove it ? It is just cosmetic isn’t it or is it integral to the plaster?

I am now officially overwhelmed.
I guess i’ll Table the replaster issue for now since I need to do a 90% water exchange first.
My confidence is waning.....

Really...thank you all for your time and expertise, and willingness to share!

 

[ajw22]

Replastering fixes all your problemes at once. Drain the pool, clean it up, replace tile, replaster, fill with fresh water. Just costs money.

 

[Cybernurse]

?... sounds good. What is money?
Yeah, and I am usually one who wants to do a job correctly the first time, but the money is the issue.
I don’t really care how it looks, doesn’t bother me, just want the water right.
What if I did a half drain , power wash what I can, and refill, then another half drain and refill?
Maybe the CYA goods would smile upon me......

 

[ajw22]

?... sounds good. What is money?
Yeah, and I am usually one who wants to do a job correctly the first time, but the money is the issue.
I don’t really care how it looks, doesn’t bother me, just want the water right.
What if I did a half drain , power wash what I can, and refill, then another half drain and refill?
Maybe the CYA goods would smile upon me......

!/2 of CYA 250 is 125. Still not good enough.

1/2 of 125 is 60+. Still not good enough.

Least expensive path is the water exchange. Cost is for water + pump. Get water 90% replaced and move on.

 

[Cybernurse]

THANKS!
Needed that kick in the bootie.
Moving........

 

[mknauss]

Marty, take a look at the post above. Drain from deep end or shallow end?

With nearly equal water temperatures I would pull from the bottom (deep end) and add to the surface (shallow end).

 

[Cybernurse]

!/2 of CYA 250 is 125. Still not good enough.

1/2 of 125 is 60+. Still not good enough.

Least expensive path is the water exchange. Cost is for water + pump. Get water 90% replaced and move on.

Tah Dah!!!!
Almost full!
FC:9.5
CC: .5
TC:10
CYA:50 ( tested it twice, I wish it were 30, maybe when fill is done)
PH:7.5
TA:100
CH: 150
Temp:78

SOOOOO.. ABOUT 5:30 yesterday I totally lost it,??, I simply could not ?bear it anymore!
In rapid succession, I got a wild hair, ?️, threw caution to the wind,?, drained 90%of pool ? ?? to waste after confirming water delivery of 8000 gallons, ? ?, ?power washed it, (which made some Improvement cosmetically but not really significant, admitted I really probably need a resurfacing of the plaster?, and returned to some semblance of sanity! ??.

So. New questions:
Should I aggressively backwash the sand filter?

• Is it okay to put the solar cover on to warm it up a bit? I’d like to swim before I start the SLAM?
• I almost feel at a loss of what to do next!

RE: Black and Brown spots: I tried scraping off some of the black ones with my fingernail to no avail, focus power washed them , again to no avail, (I was pretty cautious with the power wash since I was worried that I would loose too much plaster if I got more aggressive, like I usually do when power washing.)

A lot of brownish black stuff came out of the single light in the deep end, I didn’t have time to take it off, should I do that now?

I don’t have any chlorine to start the Slam, but will -get some in the morning.

I am hoping my CYA comes down a bit more, 30 would be awesome, but 40 would be ok too, I’m pretty gun shy of that particular, as you might,suspect. I know, it was probably stupid thing to do, risky, never done it before, shotgun approach,did not even look for a hydrostatic pressure valve, cost a lot but was worth it this one time,answered a lot of questions about the condition.
Hey, when I was power washing, under- the skin it looked kinda splotchy, blue tinged, sort like a human who is very cold and wet. What color is gunite? Could the spots be Gunite/concrete/whatever they used showing through? Should I remove the light before SLAM? I asume I would buy a new one and not put the old one back in if so.

thank you, thank you, thank you all.
Please don’t feel like your effort to teach me the right way to exchange the water were for naught... I learned a great deal would defiantly take your advise in the future should I’m ever needing to. Of course I am hoping to AVOID any such need.?

 

[frogabog]

Wow! You do know that TFP always recommends the safest of options... That doesn't mean other options don't work out sometimes. Your pool, your choice. Sounds like you got it handled well.

Also, keep in mind that you not only eliminated your CYA issue, but you also effectively got rid of 90% of your algae too... which is great and when you SLAM it should take quite a bit less time to complete than otherwise.

The solar cover can go back on for the moment to give it a boost in temp, and you are safe to swim at FC levels up to your SLAM level. Leave the cover off while you're doing SLAM so the CC can outgas.

The light should be removed and cleaned, the niche as well. Scrub with a toothbrush if you can't get into tight spots. Check and clean for algae in any tiny spot on the pool where you think it might live. If you want to replace the light, do so. Otherwise a good deep cleaning with bleach probably is fine.

9.5FC is only .5ppm above target for 50ppm CYA (non SLAM). So, while it isn't SLAM level, it's at least target which is good. It will probably fall pretty quickly with the sun and residual algae so you do want to have liquid chlorine on hand as soon as possible when your tests show any fast losses.

All the rest of your questions should get attention when the midwest and east coast wakes up. Congratulations on your new pool!